146 DOMESTIC pigeons: Chap. v. 



Barbs (see figs. 19 and 20) had existed as wild species, no 

 ornithologist would have placed them in the same genus 

 with each other or with the rock-pigeon. This group may, 

 as a general rule, be recognised by the beak being long, with 

 the skin over the nostrils swollen and often carunculated or 

 wattled, and with that round the eyes bare and likewise 

 cariniculated. The mouth is very wide, and the feet are 

 large. Nevertheless the Barb, which must be classed in this 

 same group, has a very short beak, and some runts have very 

 little bare skin round their eyes. 



Eace II. — Carriers. (Tiirkische Tauben ; pigeons turcs, 



dragons.) 



BeaJc elongated, narrow, pointed; eyes surrounded hy much 

 naked, generally carunculated, skin ; neck and body elongated. 



Suh-race I. The English Carrier. — This is a fine bird, of large size, 

 close feathered, generally dark-coloured, with an elongated neck. 

 The beak is attenuated and of wonderful length : in one specimen 

 it was 1"4 inch in length from the feathered base to the tip ; there- 

 fore nearly twice as long as that of the rock-pigeon, which measured 

 only "77. Whenever I compare proportionally any part in the 

 carrier and rock-pigeon, I take the length of the body from the 

 base of the beak to the end of the tail as the standard of com- 

 parison ; and according to this standard, the beak in one Carrier 

 was nearly half an inch longer than in the rock-pigeon. The upper 

 mandible is often slightly arched. The tongue is very long. The 

 development of the carunculated skin or wattle round the eyes, 

 over the nostrils, and on the lower mandible, is prodigious. The 

 eyelids, measured longitudinally, were in some specimens exactly 

 twice as long as in the rock-pigeon. The external orifice or furrow 

 of the nostrils was also twice as long. The open mouth in its 

 widest part was in one case "75 of an inch in width, whereas in the 

 rock-pigeon it is only about 4 of an inch. Tbis great width of 

 mouth is shown in the skeleton by the reflexed edges of the ramus 

 of the lower jaw. The head is flat on the summit and narrow 

 between the orbits. The feet are large and coarse ; the length, as 

 measured from end of hind toe to end of middle toe (without the 

 claws), was in two specimens 2'6 inches ; and this, proportionally 

 with the rock-pigeon, is an excess of nearly a quarter of an inch. 

 One very fine Carrier measured 31 j inches from tip to tip of wing. 

 Birds of this sub-race are too valuable to be flown as carriers. 



Suh-race II. Dragons ; Persian Carriers. — The English Dragon 

 differs from the improved English Carrier in being smaller in all 

 its dimensions, and in having less wattle round the eyes and over 



